


I'm Yours

by Daretodream66



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Avengers Family, BAMF Bucky Barnes, Captain America Steve Rogers/Modern Bucky Barnes, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, I think I've gotten carried away, Love at First Sight, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Bucky Barnes, Parent Bucky Barnes, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Steve Rogers, Parent Tony Stark, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Team as Family, Telepathic Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:42:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23255647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daretodream66/pseuds/Daretodream66
Summary: Steve's still lost after five years out of the ice.  Pepper suggests that he need a little animal therapy and sends him to Fur Babies.  Bucky owns Fur Babies after his mother passes away.  He's used to seeing Avengers, but has never met Steve.  This is their story.Please read the notes.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 17
Kudos: 416





	I'm Yours

**Author's Note:**

> This is an A/B/O dynamics story. I've read many of these stories and really enjoyed them, so I combined some of the things I've read in this. Steve and Bucky share a telepathic bond, but that isn't normal. They also have eyes that glow, which is also not the norm.   
> Thoughts can be recognized by italicized words. You'll also notice that it isn't something that happens often because the two characters learn how to filter their thoughts and the other's thoughts become background noise.

Winifred Barnes cared about two things and only two things: her twins and animals. The twins were flourishing, with Becca on the West Coast studying law at Stanford, and Bucky at NYU studying engineering. Thankfully, she didn’t have to concern herself with that no good alpha that gave her these beautiful children because he’d made himself scarce years ago. She’d raised her children alone and was perfectly fine with that.

The animal shelter was born out of a desire to help those that can’t help themselves and her son’s ability to always bring home strays that needed help. She took all the money that her parents left her when they passed and opened Fur Babies: a no-kill shelter for any and all animals that needed a place to call home. Each and every one became another furry child and when they were adopted, Winifred was blissfully happy.

A few years ago, Pepper Potts-Stark had come in with her daughter. Morgan Stark fell in love with every animal they had, but was only allowed to pick out a cat. But to pacify the little girl Mrs. Potts-Stark had agreed to make a donation, so the other animals would be taken care of. Winifred should have known that something was amiss because Mrs. Potts-Stark winked as she and her daughter left carrying a very happy Rufus with them.

Winifred isn’t expecting to have a ridiculous amount of money deposited into the shelter’s account every month. The Starks are good people. Occasionally, Tony Stark himself will come in and will make repairs or completely replace something that isn’t working right. When she tries to thank him, he simply tells her, “If I didn’t, my daughter would be very upset and that isn’t something I’m willing to live with.”

Yes, the Starks are good people.

So, it’s all a little inconvenient and unexpected when Winifred has to call her son, very late one night and tell him she’s in the hospital. Bucky rushes in, out of breath and looking worse for wear. “Ma? What’s going on?”

“Now, just settle down.” He sits on the edge of the bed. She knows he has class in the morning and feels really guilty about having to call him. “I fainted at the shelter and thankfully someone was there and called an ambulance. Bucky, I didn’t finish feeding the animals. I need you to go take care of them.”

Bucky hangs his head and sighs. “Ma, you passed out and are sitting in a hospital and you’re worried about the animals?”

“Well Bucky, you know they…”

“Can’t take care of themselves. Yeah Ma, I know.” He leans in kissing her cheek. “What did the doctors say?”

“They ran some tests and will have something by the afternoon.” She yawns. “Right now, I just want to sleep for a week.”

Bucky’s worry is bleeding off of him in waves. Winifred reaches over, cupping his cheek, and pulls him to her neck. He inhales deeply and relaxes. “Alright, you sleep and I’ll go check on the animals.” He heads to the door. “But Ma, call me if you find out something and I’ll come back with breakfast in a few hours.” She smiles, yawning again, waving him out the door. Outside he leans against the wall, breathing deep and trying to tell himself this is just her being overworked.

Bucky pulls out his phone as the cab drops him in front of the shelter. Becca sounds half asleep, but swears she wasn’t. If Bucky knows his sister, she was probably falling asleep in the library. She can’t miss too many of her classes, so they decide together that she’ll stay in California until they know what’s happening with their mother. The next thing he does is send an email to his professors explaining what happened and that he will be missing the day’s classes. By 8 AM, all have emailed back with understanding and words of encouragement. Also, by 8 AM, all the animals have been looked after and Bucky sits for a few minutes to gather his thoughts.

It isn’t a surprise when the tears start to fall. His Ma has been the foundation and rock of the family, with her always positive outlook on situations and endless ability to love. He cries for god knows how long, but it’s interrupted by his phone. Several things happen in quick succession. First, Bucky hears the doctor say ‘I’m so sorry,’ explaining the seizure and how quickly it happened. Second, a tall strawberry blond omega comes through the door. Third, the phone drops to the floor and Bucky follows it. And last, the strawberry blond picks up his phone and kneels next to the fallen man. Bucky can hear her voice talking with the doctor, but it’s far away like noise through water.

Bucky comes to, but doesn’t know where he is. The room looks like a hospital room, if the hospital is really upscale and almost hotel-like. But there is a machine next to him that he recognizes from hospital dramas on TV. The door opens and the same strawberry blond comes in and Bucky immediately knows who she is. He didn’t have time to make the connection before. She’s giving him a sweet, yet sympathetic smile. The reality of how he ended up here hits him like a freight train. Closing his eyes, he doesn’t try to stop the onslaught of tears. The strawberry blond, that he knows is Pepper Potts-Stark, sits on the edge of the bed, stroking his hair, and presses the button on the bed.

The door opens not long after and a brunette bombshell of an omega comes in. Seeing the state of her patient, she tears up too. Coming to the bed, she takes the syringe and injects something into the IV. He looks at her, frightened. “Oh, don’t worry sweet thing, it’s only a hormone stabilizer. When the matriarch of the family, one that you’re really close to,” She hesitates with her next words, “Isn’t around anymore, omega’s systems tend to get all out of whack.”

Bucky’s immediate thought is Becca. “My sister! We have to get to my sister!”

Pepper lays a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’ve already sent someone for her. She’ll be here by tonight.”

“How long?” Bucky hasn’t been this scattered since he presented.

“You’ve been out for almost 24 hours.” He looks panicked again. “And before you start worrying about the shelter, I’ve sent someone over that was more than willing to take care of all of your guests. All you need to think about now is letting me take care of you until your sister gets here.”

Laying his head back he closes his eyes and thinks about how he’s going to take care of everything. They have money, but he doesn’t even know what his Ma wanted for when this happened. The fact is, this wasn’t supposed to happen for at least another 100 years. His Ma would laugh if she heard him say that. He can hear her voice in his head, _“James Buchannan Barnes, I’m not living for another 100 years just to make you happy. No one needs me around long enough for me to actually become cranky.”_ The tears start fresh. After crying for a time, he feels Mrs. Potts-Stark lean over, kissing his forehead.

Bucky returns from walking the dogs. After feeding and watering everyone, he stares out the window at the people passing by. It was never his intention to run the rescue shelter, but things happen that we don’t see coming. He sent Becca back to California so that she could finish her law degree. It took entirely too much convincing, but she finally relented, kissing him and promising to come home for holidays.

That was two years ago and she’s been home once. He didn’t expect anything less really. Nine months after Ma died, Becca met a man that is now her husband. Bucky can’t really fault her for not coming back to New York, when Palo Alto is home now.

He turns to the door separating the front area from the animal area, it’s time to let the cats into the playroom. He’ll probably let the ferrets in there too. People who worry about cats hurting things like ferrets should really be worried about the ferrets driving the cats insane. He hears the bell from the front, but knows that it isn’t a customer because of the time. Clint comes through the door, grinning. Natasha isn’t far behind him. “Oh, is it kitty play time? I love this time of day.” Natasha sits on the floor of the playroom as cats come flooding in.

Clint smiles softly at her. “I’m going to go check on the doggos.” She nods and he exits.

Natasha has a lap full of oversized calico. “You doing okay, James?”

He opens the carrier with the ferrets and they come bounding out to tackle the first feline they come across. “Yeah, why do you ask?” He still can’t believe that Avengers come in and out of the shelter on a, pretty much, daily basis. Some of them have even adopted pets, but he guesses that they feel sorry for him after everything two years ago. His scent sours a bit at the thought.

She waves him over and pats the floor next to her. Once on the floor, she pulls his head into her lap to share it with the cat. The cat takes it as an invitation to start grooming his head. Nat laughs, but keeps petting them both. “Contrary to what your scent just did, we don’t come here because we feel sorry for you or think you need someone to check up on you. We come here because our job is stressful in a way that sometimes is too much. We come here because we like you and doing this,” She points around her, “Helps us deal.”

He smiles up at her and gets a lick from the cat across his eyebrow. “Thanks for that. Sometimes I forget that…well…that there are people that care.” Natasha just smiles softly down at him.

The door opens and Clint comes in, plopping down behind Natasha. “Hey man, coming here means we don’t have to be Avengers, we can just be us and play with the animals and have lunch with a friend.” He pulls out his phone. “Speaking of, what do you want on your pizza?”

Steve Rogers doesn’t really know what to do with himself most days. After coming out of the ice and being thrown almost immediately into a battle with an alien army, he’s just decided that embracing the persona was easier than trying to figure out who he is in this new time. Natasha tries to tell him that he needs a life, Tony tries to tell him the same thing, but mostly he just ignores them and does what Captain America would do, looks for injustice to fight.

Sitting in the common room, he goes through files left by Fury and comes up with strategic plans to help out. The lift opens, admitting Pepper. Steve stands because old habits die hard and she gives him a sweet smile. “That’s very kind of you, but please sit.”

Steve takes his seat again with a simple, “Yes ma’am.” He doesn’t know Pepper very well, never really having a need to be around her. He knows she’s smart, she’s a good mother, and she keeps Tony reined in most days. He also knows that she doesn’t really know what to do with him. She has a relationship with all of the other Avengers, but not him. He chalks that up to…well, truth be told, he doesn’t really know why that is. He’s never shown her any disrespect and has always been polite.

She comes out of the kitchen with tea and cookies, sitting at the table with him. Steve gets nervous when she slides a cup to him and places the plate between them. “Captain Rogers, I think we should talk.”

He straightens his shoulders, but doesn’t meet her eyes. “Yes ma’am.” Steve’s been thinking about moving out of the tower and he knows that she knows. Truthfully, he really thought she would be okay with that, since they don’t know each other and he seems to make her uncomfortable.

“Tony tells me that you’re thinking of leaving.” She takes a cookie, dipping it in her tea.

“Yes ma’am.” She looks up and he finally does too. She nods like she wants him to continue. Gathering his thoughts, he decides to tell her the truth. “I don’t think that me being here is comfortable for everyone.”

She leans back in her chair. “You mean me.”

He nods. “Yes ma’am.”

“Honestly Steve, I thought I was the one making you uncomfortable.” He looks up, sputtering.

“No ma’am. You do not make me uncomfortable, but I invaded your home.” He motions around him at their surroundings. “And I just thought if I weren’t here, you wouldn’t feel like there are too many people in your space.”

She giggles at that. Steve blushes and really wishes that he didn’t have such fair skin. “Oh Steve, this tower is home to the entire team and you think that you make it one too many. That’s really very sweet.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, he tries to keep her from seeing the blush. “Ma’am, you have to put up with so much and if one less person makes your day easier, it’s the least I can do for everything you’ve allowed me to have.”

Pepper sighs and for an instant, she gets a sad look. “Do you remember when Tony and I got Morgan her cat, Rufus?”

Steve nods, he remembers Morgan bringing the cat to the common room to show him off to everyone. Rufus had decided that Steve’s lap was the best one in the room and spent a good two hours, curled up and purring. “He’s a great cat.”

“He thinks you’re pretty great too. I really thought he’d go straight to Clint or maybe Natasha, but he went to you. That night, Morgan wouldn’t stop talking about it and decided you were going to be her Uncle Steve. If Rufus liked you that much, then she was going to like you that much too.” Pepper looks a little misty and Steve thinks he might be too. He wondered why the little girl started seeking him out, but also found that she loved to draw. It has made for nice afternoons, drawing together and Morgan asking questions about where Steve came from.

“I didn’t know.” She shakes her head.

“No because you make a point to not be in the way and sometimes that means you excuse yourself even when it’s a team movie night or dinner. What makes you think we don’t want you here?” She’s honestly curious.

Steve doesn’t know why he opens up, but something about her reminds him of his mother. There’s strength in her that he admires. “I think it’s old programming.” She looks confused. “When I was a kid no one wanted to build a relationship with me. The only person I had was my Ma. I came here and I guess I just thought everyone saw me as an asset and not really a person. After awhile, it was just easier to be that.”

Reaching out, Pepper put a hand on Steve’s arm. “It’s time that you figure out what Steve wants. It’s also time you let us be the friends and family you need to stay sane in this new world. After five years, it’s time.”

“Yes ma’am.” She snorts causing Steve to laugh quietly.

“And don’t call me ma’am anymore. It hurts my ego.” That makes him laugh outright.

“Yes…Pepper.” She pats his arm and gets up, returning her cup to the kitchen.

“Oh and maybe next time someone goes to the shelter, go with them. It would do you good to take care of animals for awhile or just hang out.” Steve cocks his head to the side. “You don’t know about the shelter?”

“No, I don’t.” She takes a seat again and tells Steve about Fur Babies.

“About three years ago when we got Rufus, we went to Fur Babies. It’s a no-kill shelter for all kinds of animals. The woman that ran it was amazing and so kind. Not like anything I was expecting.” There’s a sadness that Steve doesn’t understand. “Then two years ago I was going in to talk to her about funding a larger building with a green area and found her son, James.” Pepper takes a minute to blink away tears and ground herself. “Anyway, the owner had a seizure and passed away and her son runs the place now. It was a heavy blow to him and his sister.” She puts a hand on Steve’s arm again. “Steve, the team goes there because it’s almost like therapy, spending time with the animals and not having to be whoever we don’t or can’t be that day.” They talk for a little while longer and Pepper fills in a few more details about the Barnes family. By the time she’s done, Steve knows he’s going to go. Whoever this family is, they must be something special for the son to drop his life to keep his mother’s dream alive.

A minor mission comes up and the team leaves for five days. By the time they return, Steve is feeling anxious. Something about the mission just turned his stomach. They found out that the terrorist group was prepared to and almost did blow up a school and Steve just needs out of the tower to think. He stops for coffee and three beta women get a little too close for comfort. Then in the park, a small omega female sits on the bench and tries to entice him into an afternoon interlude.

This is the other reason that Steve doesn’t go out much. By all standards, he is the perfect specimen of an alpha male. The problem is, he doesn’t have tastes like an alpha male.

As a smaller than normal alpha growing up, his tastes turned to male omegas and the fact that in most cases they were bigger than Steve was a plus. It really got his motor running when an omega male would hit on him because he wasn’t big enough to hurt them or force them into anything. He made many omega friends that way because they told him he wasn’t like other alphas and was easy to talk to.

Soon, it just became what he gravitated to, then the serum happened and every beta, omega, and some smaller alphas made a play for him. It was exhausting fighting that off all the time, so he spent most of his time in the tower.

He walks until he isn’t even sure where he is, but checking the nearest street sign, he finds himself in Brooklyn. He doesn’t even remember walking across the bridge, but here he is. Without realizing it, he’s walked home, he’s in Red Hook and checking the address that Pepper gave him the week before, he knows that he’s close to the shelter. With determination, he makes his way to Fur Babies.

Turning the corner, he sees one of the cars from the tower garage and bets that Clint and Natasha are already inside. The mission had messed with the team emotionally and he should have known that Nat would make her way to the only therapy she would every agree to.

Walking in is like walking into warmth, but it isn’t until the door to the back opens and a man steps out that Steve understands why. Looking up, the man locks eyes with Steve and everything, including the nosy eyes of his Avenger friends, disappears and all he can see is this beautiful man, built like all of his hopes and dreams. The man seems just as affected by Steve’s presence. Steve takes in everything from the brunette hair, strong shoulders, strong thighs, to the stubbled jaw and crystal clear eyes. There’s nothing about this tall, built man that he doesn’t like.

Seeing that neither man is going to make a move, Natasha steps through the door where she and Clint have been watching. “Steve? What brings you here?”

Steve tries to look away, but finds that he can’t take his eyes from the man. Without unlocking his eyes from _that_ face, he answers. “Oh…uh…Pepper suggested it.”

Clint comes around the corner with a dog following him. “Hey man, good to see you out. Meet Lucky, he’s coming home with us.” Clint isn’t oblivious to what’s happening, but he does need to help Natasha get these two idiots talking.

Lucky comes to Steve and puts his big paws right on the man’s chest. Steve snaps out of whatever magic is at play. “Well, hi.” He begins rubbing the dog’s neck and back. “Aren’t you pretty.” Steve looks back up at the man as he says it. The man blushes, getting the message.

Natasha comes over, snapping her fingers and Lucky jumps down. “Steve, you haven’t met James, the owner of Fur Babies.”

Stepping forward, Steve offers his hand. “James…” There’s so much he wants to say, but doesn’t because of propriety.

“It’s nice to meet you, Steve, but call me Bucky, everyone does, except Nat and Pepper.” He’s turning pink again and Steve can’t get enough of it.

“Bucky, it’s good to meet you.” They don’t release hands for much too long. Natasha and Clint watch everything in fascination. They’ve seen Steve at his best, usually on the battle field and at his worst, usually after the battle field, but they have never seen him like this. Clint elbows Nat and grins.

“Did you want to meet the animals?” Steve doesn’t answer, just keeps staring at Bucky. She finally, nudges him and he jumps completely surprised that anyone is still there.

“Uh…what?” Clint sniggers and Steve blushes.

“Did you want to meet the animals? That’s why you came, right?” It may have been why he came in the first place, but that isn’t why he’s here now.

“Yeah…yes, the animals.” Finally, he releases Bucky’s hand, who is staring down at the appendage in wonder and mild confusion.

“Bucky, why don’t you show Steve the place and Clint and I will watch the front.” Bucky nods and starts to the back. Steve follows taking in the broad shoulders, thick thighs again, and even though he shouldn’t, he can’t help but appreciate the round, tight backside. He’s not sure, but Steve thinks he may have whimpered and Nat’s snort tells him he did. He really hopes Bucky didn’t hear it.

“What brings you in today?” Bucky’s voice cracks, but he clears his throat to try and cover.

“Oh, I guess I just needed to get away from the tower and ended up here.” Bucky stops at the playroom door, looking over his shoulder at Steve. Steve is sure he whimpers again. Somehow, Steve Rogers has been defeated by his own instincts. He’s sure that Bucky heard it because he smirks.

“I’m glad you stopped by. I’ve seen everyone else, but you’ve never come by.” Steve blushes as Bucky pushes the door open. As soon as they are inside, Steve takes in all of the toys, towers, and tunnels all covered and being played on by cats of all shapes and sizes. Steve’s about to walk over to one on a cat tree when something that is definitely not a cat, comes bounding over, attacking his shoes.

“What is this?” Bucky laughs and Steve’s sunk. Leaning down, Bucky grabs the ferret and stands back up.

“This is Belle. She’s a ferret about three years old and will attack any shoe with laces.” Steve reaches over, gently scratching her head. She rolls over in Bucky’s arms and burrows into his shirt. Steve giggles. Realizing the embarrassing noise he just made, he looks up. Bucky’s look is so soft with delight that Steve can’t feel shame. Captain America isn’t supposed to giggle, but apparently Steve Rogers can’t help himself.

“She’s adorable.” Bucky hands her over and Steve ends up with a ferret climbing his shirt to sit part on his shoulder and part on his head.

Bucky takes out his phone and snaps a picture. “That’s one for the office wall.” Taking his hand, he leads Steve further into the room and motions to the floor.

They sit and Belle climbs down and scampers away to tackle a cat trying to nap. “She’s a spitfire.”

Bucky looks over, locking eyes with Steve again. “That she is. It’s a shame that people don’t understand what they are getting when they get a pet. Belle was a Christmas present for a six year old. No one in the family knew what they were getting, they just thought she was cute. Then the kid loses interest and they don’t have a home. At least they brought her here and didn’t just dump her in the park.” Steve is aghast at that idea and for the next several minutes the two talk about horrible things that people have done.

It’s been nearly an hour of playing with cats when Steve finally has to say something. “Bucky?” The other man looks over and just smiles. Steve’s heart does a flip and he knows. He just knows. “I know this might be inappropriate, but you felt it when I walked in here, didn’t you?”

Bucky blushes again and Steve’s now completely addicted to the look. “Yeah, I did.” It’s so quiet that without his enhanced hearing, Steve might have missed it.

“I gave up.” Bucky looks up, trying to decipher what the super soldier means. “I just figured it wouldn’t happen. I was too small before and now people don’t see me, they just see the persona. Then I walked in here and…jesus…I feel like I’m at confession.”

Bucky reaches over, taking Steve’s hand and everything in the soldier relaxes. Like a bolt of electricity, Steve knows he hasn’t ever felt this. Ever. “You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to say.”

“I want to take you out…like on a date.” Bucky scoots closer to Steve, still holding his hand.

“I’d like that.” For the first time in his adult life, Bucky feels like someone sees him and likes what they see.

Date number one is a simple dinner at a Mexican place that Bucky insists is the best in the city. After dinner they walk for a little while and talk about every day mundane things. It’s the best night Steve’s had. “Pepper and I were talking the last time she was in and she told me that you draw and paint.”

“I used to, but haven’t really stuck with it since coming out of the ice.” Bucky caresses the back of Steve’s hand with his thumb.

“Can I ask why or is that too personal?” Steve looks over and doesn’t understand how Bucky doesn’t already know that nothing is too personal to ask.

“You can ask me anything, Bucky. I don’t mind talking to you about anything you want to know.” Bucky smiles and Steve’s heart flips. “I came out of the ice and didn’t really know where I fit, so it was easier to just be Captain America and not worry about what Steve did before.”

Bucky pulls him to a stop. “Steve, you have to know that isn’t living.” Reaching up, he cups Steve’s cheek. “Steve is more important than any persona you have to wear. Steve deserves to have his happiness too.”

Steve places his hand over Bucky’s, gently pulling it away so he can lay a kiss on the palm. “Where have you been my whole life?” Steve doesn’t have the words to express to this man that he feels a connection to him, deeper than the heart, deeper than the soul, it’s like he knows Bucky on a cellular level, that he’s part of Steve’s DNA.

Bucky throws his head back, laughing. It’s incredibly beautiful to watch. “Well, I wasn’t born for a long time and the rest of the time I was in school trying to finish my master’s degree.”

Steve stops, looking quizzically at the younger man. “You’re in school?”

Something changes in his face and Steve knows he’s hit on something they need to talk about. “Not anymore. I dropped out when my Ma,” Bucky swallows hard. “When Ma passed. Someone needed to keep the shelter running and Becca, well she’s always had a dream to be a lawyer. I couldn’t ask her to stay.”

Steve pulls the man into a hug. “I think you need to take your own advice. You deserve to have your dream too. You should finish school.”

“Who would take care of the animals, Steve? I can’t let them go to other shelters that might not be no-kill. Ma would…she would…” There’s a hitch in his breathing and Steve knows he getting upset.

“Why can’t I do it?” He has no idea where the idea comes from, but he’ll do anything to make Bucky happy. Leaning away, he looks into slate blue eyes. “Yeah, why couldn’t I do it?”

Bucky snorts. “Well mainly because you do have a day job and you don’t know when you’ll get called away.”

Steve’s going to figure out how to make this happen. Bucky deserves his dream and Steve’s going to give it to him.

Date number two is the next night and Steve goes to Bucky’s apartment for dinner. Walking into Bucky’s home is like walking into love and comfort that Steve didn’t know he needed in his life. It’s filled with Bucky’s scent and it calls to Steve on a primal level. He wants to walk around and rub himself on everything so that their scents mingle and marry. “This place in amazing.” He does walk around and look at all the pictures. “Bucky, can I ask you a personal question?”

Bucky comes out of the kitchen, towel draped across his shoulder, in pajama pants and a threadbare t-shirt. He looks like everything Steve ever wanted. “Anything, you know that.”

“In all these pictures, it’s just you, Becca and your Ma. Can I ask where your father is?” When he turns, Bucky looks annoyed, but it doesn’t seem to be directed at Steve.

“My father didn’t stay once he found out my Ma was pregnant. He hightailed it away as soon as he could. Ma never really talked about him, just to say that she wanted us to know that she loved us and wanted us always.” Steve goes to him, hugging him. “He was a bastard that used Ma and she didn’t have any use for that.”

“You know, I think your ma and mine would have been best friends. Nothing was more important to my mother than me. She was strong and fierce when it came to taking care of me.” Bucky burrows into Steve’s neck, scenting him for the first time. Steve’s knees nearly give out. “May I? Please Bucky?”

Steve’s read enough to know that scenting an omega today, done without permission, isn’t acceptable, but he really, really needs to. “Yes.” Bucky tilts his head back, giving Steve access to his scent gland.

Steve buries his nose in the exposed neck and inhales heaven. More than anything, he wants to lick, but holds himself back. That isn’t done either. Bucky whimpers and Steve can’t hold in the rumble in his chest. He’s not an asshole, but it’s so hard with Bucky giving him permission. “Bucky…”

Before he can pull away, Steve rubs against Bucky’s neck, leaving his scent behind. Bucky clears his throat and reluctantly pulls away. “We…uh…we better eat.” Steve nods because he’s not sure he can form actual words.

Dinner is just as good as it smelled from the living room and Steve praises Bucky, who blushes sweetly. Steve washes the dishes as Bucky warms the pie for dessert. “You didn’t have to make dessert too.”

Bucky leans against the counter next to Steve, leaning just slightly into his space. “What’s dinner if there isn’t dessert after?”

Steve smiles and leans over to kiss Bucky’s cheek. “I think you’re just a nice person and I’m lucky to have you in my life.”

He goes to retrieve the pie. “Steve, I wanna ask you something and I need you to tell me the truth.” Steve turns, nodding. “My size isn’t an issue for you is it?”

Steve nearly drops the plate he’s drying. “Why would you ask me something like that?”

“Well, I mean in your day I wouldn’t have been desirable because I’m bigger and muscular.”

Steve puts the plate down, going to Bucky and pulling him into a hug. “I think you’re perfect.”

Bucky snorts. “That’s not a word that I would use to describe me.”

Steve leans away, cupping Bucky’s face. “You only have to be perfect to one person and you are to me.”

By fall, Bucky is back in school and Steve has started running the shelter. When he’s called away on missions, he has volunteers come in, each vetted by Pepper. NYU accepts Bucky back without penalty because of his unusual circumstances and the fact that the CEO of Stark Industries makes a special request. Steve and Bucky are always together, even if Bucky is studying, Steve is there making sure he eats and sleeps.

Sleeping has become much easier for Steve, having Bucky next to him and being surrounded by their combine scents, keeps the super soldier in a warm and fuzzy place. What they haven’t done is _sleep_ together because Steve doesn’t want Bucky to think he’s anything like the father that abandoned his mother. He’ll wait a lifetime if he has to. Coming up on the holiday break, Bucky is organizing everything he needs to accomplish before going back in January.

“Buck, where’s the extra icing from the cupcakes last week?” Bucky grins when Steve comes in, wearing ridiculous pajama pants with light up reindeer and a Santa tee that Natasha gave him.

“It’s in the freezer. If you take it out now, it will be thawed by this afternoon.” Steve leans in, kissing him quickly and heads back to the kitchen. Steve spends more nights here than at the tower. Most of his clothes have migrated over too, along with a sketch pad and pencils that Bucky got him for his birthday.

“Found it!” Steve calls from the kitchen. Bucky goes into the bathroom to get ready for his last final of the semester. Opening the medicine cabinet he pulls down the bottle of hormone inhibitors. The bottle is empty and he remembers that he meant to fill it yesterday, but a group of dogs were brought in that needed a once over by the vet.

“Shit!” Steve comes running in, seeing the distraught look on Bucky’s face.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Bucky turns, showing the bottle to Steve. “I thought you were going to get them…oh…the dogs. Damnit! That was my fault.”

“I’ll pick them up after my final. It will be okay.” He’s been on them since he started his master’s degree the first time. He doesn’t really know what will happen if he’s off of them, even for a day.

The final goes off without a hitch for the most part. But something on the test bothers Bucky, so he goes to the library after to do some research. By the time he’s satisfied, it’s nearing nine. He starts to call Steve, but sees that he has several missed calls. Pressing the button, he hears a weary sounding super soldier’s voice.

_“hey baby, the team got a call. I don’t think we’ll be gone long, but I didn’t want to leave and not hear your voice. I guess your voicemail message will have to do. How did the final go? Call me when you get this and if I’m able I’ll take the call. If I don’t, it’s okay, I’m just doing my day job. I called Sandra and Mary. They will take care of the shelter until I get back. Bucky, I love you. I know you know that, but I realized today I’ve never said it. I love you so much. I’ll see you soon.”_

Bucky gets all kinds of mushy over that. Of course he’s known for months how Steve felt and he feels it too, but hearing it makes his whole world better. Getting home, he calls Steve’s cell, but gets his voicemail. He takes a shaky breath.

_“Honey, I just got your message. I love you too, so much. If that was my Christmas present, you outdid yourself. Please take care of yourself and I’ll see you soon. I love you.”_

It’s the day before Christmas Eve when Steve finally comes home. He’s beat up, but doing okay. Bucky has been cooking for days and even put the tree up so he’d have a place to put the gifts he’s gotten Steve and the rest of the team. The apartment has been warm all day, but he chalks that up to the oven constantly running, so he’s in shorts and a tank that belongs to Steve. He ushers Steve into the shower and fixes a plate of food.

Steve knows that something is off, but can’t put his finger on what it is. Halfway through the shower, it hits him like a ton of bricks. He finished quickly and goes straight to the medicine cabinet and checks the bottle. It’s still empty. “Oh hell.” He comes out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel and goes to the kitchen. “Bucky?” Bucky turns, looking Steve up and down and practically growls. As he’s coming over to do something about the display of miles of skin, Steve holds up the bottle. “Bucky?”

The omega freezes. “Oh…oh no…no, no, no.” He backs away from Steve. Everything comes together in his mind. The apartment isn’t hot because of the oven and his need to have food and decorations up for Steve’s return is a nesting instinct. “I don’t want it like this.”

Steve raises his hands to placate the omega. “I will get a bag packed and head to the tower. I would never do anything to you that you didn’t want. I just needed to check to see if it was on purpose or an accident.” He continues to back out of the kitchen causing Bucky’s hindbrain to whine. Steve stops, unsure what to do. “Oh baby, I’m not leaving because I don’t want to be here, I’m leaving because I don’t want you to think I took advantage of you.”

Bucky shakes his head to clear out the fuzz. “I forgot and then got so into baking and decorating, I just didn’t think about it, but I…” He reaches out for Steve, who doesn’t even hesitate. He keeps his hands above Bucky’s waist, but croons softly in his ear.

“When you are ready, I want you to know that you smell like everything I ever wanted. You smell like home. You always have. But I will do this anyway you want.” Bucky latches onto Steve’s neck and begins sucking at his gland. “Oh god…baby…you have’ta…jesus…yes…”

Bucky doesn’t let up and when he finally does pull away, he smiles up at Steve through his lashes. “Would it be so bad? I mean it’s not like…” Steve’s eyes are lust blown and his breathing is harsh. “Steve what are you thinking?”

Steve practically sobs while moving a few feet away. “I want to claim you and we haven’t talked about that and I don’t even know if you want that and all I can think about now is…I Just need to be close to you.” Bucky starts to say something, but Steve backs more out of the room and heads to the bedroom. Pulling out a duffle he starts throwing things into it. He’s got to get out of here or he’ll do something that would hurt Bucky in a way that can’t be taken back.

Bucky smiles and realizes that everything Steve just said, is exactly what he wants, so he head to the bedroom after turning the oven off and starts stripping. By the time he’s in the doorway, blocking Steve’s path out, he’s wearing nothing, but the smile. “Steve, I think we should talk about this.” The heat hasn’t kicked in fully and Bucky knows he’s still clear headed and not making this decision out of lust.

Steve turns, sucking in a breath, then quickly turns back around. Clinching his eyes tightly shut, he tries not to focus on what he just saw. Every inch of Bucky, on display, burned into Steve’s brain. “Bucky, you need to…” Before he can finish, the towel he was wearing gets ripped off. Arms slip around his waist and they gravitate south. He wants to stop the omega from doing this, but he also can’t seem to make that move.

Kisses are being rained down on his shoulders and he can feel how much Bucky wants him. “Steve, I’m as clear headed as I was a week ago, I won’t be for long, but I need you to tell me if what you said in the kitchen is true. Do you want to claim me?”

“God yes. Since I met you and it’s just gotten stronger as we’ve been together, but…”

Bucky chuckles. “I want you to do that. It’s for keeps and I won’t let you go, not without a hell of a fight.” He turns Steve. “Claim me alpha. But promise you’ll never let me go.”

“I couldn’t leave you if I tried. I love you so much and I want us to be everything together.”

Steve goes to the kitchen, grabbing water and checking that everything Bucky’s been working on is okay. He pulls the oven open, smirking at the Christmas cookies that finished baking even though the oven was off. He pulls them out, sliding them off the pan and onto the cooling rack. He covers the icing and gives a once over. This isn’t about helping Bucky through his heat, this is Steve taking care of him in the only way he knows how. He’s always been a caretaker, but this is different. Caring about Bucky is like breathing and he wants this to be as special as possible.

Stepping out of the kitchen, Steve considers unplugging the lights on the tree and the strings hanging around the living room. Instead, he smiles and goes to the hall closet. Pulling down the extra blankets and pillows, he goes about setting up a nest in front of the tree. The whine from the bedroom makes him chuckle. “What the hell is taking so long, Steve?”

He heads into the bedroom, pulling all the blankets off the bed, the chair, and from Bucky’s closet. “Grab the pillows and come with me.”

Whatever his scent is giving off, makes Bucky smile and does what Steve tells him. When he gets to the living room, the grin gets even bigger. “I thought this would be nice. With enough blankets and pillows, it should be comfortable. And the lights make it nice.”

Bucky’s breath hitches as he starts arranging the blankets just so. Steve goes to turn off the lamps and shut the blinds. Bucky starts talking off handed. “My ma said once that the only thing she really missed out on was this.” He’s talking almost like he doesn’t realize he’s saying all of it out loud. “She said that my father never let her nest and never made a comfortable space for her. She said she should have known he wasn’t a good person.”

Bucky leans back on his knees, checking his work when Steve kneels behind him, wrapping arms around his shoulders and pulling him into that broad chest. “I will always make a place for you. I know my nest skills aren’t the best, but I’ve never done it for anyone before, so I hope I did okay.”

Bucky lays his head on Steve’s shoulder, letting the man kiss the exposed neck. “You did wonderful.” Steve latches onto Bucky gland and sucks for all he’s worth. “Jesus…don’t stop.” Within minutes, the room is filled with aroused omega and barely hanging onto his sanity alpha. “Steve…Steve…now, please.” Bucky’s heat tips over the edge and Steve loses his mind.

“H-how do you want…” Before he can finish, Bucky is in the nest, ass up. “Oh god.” Steve’s whispered words tell Bucky he’s done the right thing.

Steve doesn’t make him wait because a willing alpha can make the heat hurt in ways that Steve never wants Bucky to hurt. Separating Bucky’s cheeks, Steve becomes dizzy. “Steve…please…”

“Always, baby. Always.” He slides into the omega carefully, but fully. “I don’t think I’m gonna last here Buck.”

Bucky raises himself up and Steve pulls him against his chest. “is ok…” Bucky makes little ‘ah’ noise as Steve moves slowly and gently in him. When his knot breaks through, Bucky cries out and comes on the blankets and himself. Steve holds Bucky, back to chest, and snaps up causing the omega to come again. When his knot stays and won’t come out, he growls and bites into the scent gland, tying them together in a way that isn’t just physical.

The next time, Steve wants to see Bucky, so he lays the man down in the nest and takes him. What happens next isn’t planned, wasn’t talked about, and isn’t usually done, but Steve bares his neck to Bucky. “Claim me.” Bucky’s lust blown eyes get wide and he grabs Steve by the hair, dragging him down and as the knot lodges inside and Bucky comes, he bites down. Their world gets turn upside down when the cry doesn’t come from Steve’s mouth, but in his mind.

Bucky screams, “Steve!” And Bucky can hear a litany of _‘I love you, I love you, I love you’_ echoing in his head. Steve collapses pouring into Bucky. They wake sometime Christmas Eve afternoon with Bucky whining _‘I don’t wanna get up.’_

Steve chuckles, stroking Bucky’s back with the man’s face nuzzled into his neck. “Well baby, you don’t have to get up. We have nowhere to be.”

There’s huff and Steve hears, _‘We’re supposed to be at the tower tonight you big oaf.’_

Steve laughs at that. “I know we are, but if your heat is still going on, which it should be, we can beg off and the team will understand.”

Bucky wakes, looking up at Steve. “Steve?” He looks a little manic, causing the alpha to reach up, cupping his cheek. Bucky pulls away, sitting up and glaring at Steve. The blond doesn’t know what’s going on, until he hears, _‘Can you hear me?’_

Steve blinks and shakes his head because Bucky’s lips didn’t move. Is it possible? To test the theory, he thinks, _‘Like you said it out loud.’_

“Fuck, this is real?” Bucky looks about ready to go into shock. “This isn’t real. This is something that people put into really bad rom-coms.”

Steve sniggers because Bucky loves really bad rom-coms. _‘You love really bad rom-coms.’_

_‘So do you and you can’t deny it.’_

“I don’t think I’ll be able to hide anything from you anymore. So yes, I do like really bad rom-coms.” Bucky giggles, throwing himself into Steve’s arms. “You want to take a shower while I fix us something to eat?”

_‘Ummmm food.’_ Steve laughs and gets up, pulling Bucky with him.

“How are you feeling? And be honest.” Steve quirks an eyebrow at his mate and Bucky lowers his eyes, blushing.

“Sore, but really happy. If my heat isn’t over, I don’t know if I can… _you know.”_ He heads to the shower and lets 24 hours of really spectacular sex wash away down the drain. Bucky doesn’t feel like he’s still in heat, but that could change over the course of the day. Since he hasn’t had one in years, he doesn’t really know what his body is doing. But the idea of having Steve in him again makes him grimace because he really is sore. Forgetting the unique circumstances, he thinks, _‘That’s what you get for saving yourself for an alpha with a dick the size of a lead pipe.’_

The bathroom door opens seconds later. “You didn’t tell me _THAT!”_ The shower curtain is pulled aside and Steve stands there, panting.

Bucky would like to say the red that overtakes his body is just the heat from the shower, but they both know that isn’t the case. “Ma gave us the talk when we were little and then again when we were teenagers. She said that saving ourselves or not was our choice, but I just never found anyone that I wanted to be that vulnerable with… _until you.”_

Bucky ends up even more sore.

Bucky’s heat didn’t come back and by early evening he convinces Steve to go to the Christmas Eve party at the tower. While Bucky showers again, Steve runs to the corner bodega to pick up some wine. As he stands in line, he looks over at the cat, watching the people intently. _‘Is it weird that every bodega has a cat in it? Why doesn’t Bucky have a pet? He runs a shelter.’_

Laughter rings through his head and Steve can’t help the sappy grin that takes over his face. _‘This is what you think about while getting wine? I don’t have a pet because I do own a shelter. Do you want a pet, Steve?’_

And that’s how they learn that this weird situation isn’t effected by distance. Steve bursts through the door with Bucky waiting, wrapped in a towel, with open arms to fold the super soldier into. “How whipped does it make me sound that I don’t want to be away from you, ever, but knowing that I can hear you makes it a little better?”

Bucky laughs. “I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about hearing you during a battle, but hearing you will let me rest easy. I’ll always know you’re okay.”

Steve’s smile is blinding. They make their way to the tower in a car sent by Tony. The driver checks the mirror a few times because the two men don’t talk the whole way. What Happy doesn’t know is that they haven’t shut up. Bucky’s head is resting on Steve’s shoulder and their private conversation is kept completely private.

Steve should have known that Natasha was going to pick up on something, but he didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. It had started simple enough with Steve being waylaid by a congressman wanting to talk about military funding, who obviously didn’t know anything about the military. And Steve sending a distress to Bucky. _‘Baby, please save me from this idiot.’_

Bucky, at the time, was talking to Natasha about the new cats that came to the shelter. He’d abruptly stopped talking and looked over at Steve. “Excuse me, I have to save Steve.” She’d given him a strange look as he made his way over. _‘I’m on my way, honey.’_

This happened a few more times either from Steve or from Bucky, who was being accosted by a lovely omega female that wanted to know what it was like being friends with Steve. They hadn’t said anything to anyone, so she didn’t make the connection that Bucky wasn’t just a friend of Steve’s. She had then made a rather unfortunate remark about getting Steve into bed. _‘I’m going to punch her if you don’t come save me. She asked me if I’d ever accidently seen your dick and if it was proportional.’_

_‘On your six baby.’_ Steve had interrupted their conversation by kissing the living daylights out of his mate. As they walked away, Bucky had called over his shoulder, “And yes, it’s proportional!” Steve hadn’t been able to contain his barking laugh.

So, Natasha corners them at dinner and without so much as a ‘by your leave’ pulls Bucky’s sweater down and sees the mark. “Holy hell, you two mated.”

Steve just grins while Bucky sputters. Looking at Bucky, Steve kisses his temple. “Yeah, we did. Last night.” He doesn’t give her any more information, but he can tell she’s trying to figure out how they knew the other was in need. Being able to scent a mates distress is common, but in a room full of people, not likely. She knows this is something more. This is like they can… When it hits her, she does a rousing impression of a gold fish.

Walking away, she goes to Clint. Steve watches the conversation and wonders what all Natasha understands. As the extras at the party filter out after dessert, the team turns to look at Steve. Bucky really doesn’t know what’s going on, but the look on Steve’s face says it may not be good. “Honey, what’s happening?”

Bruce comes over, silently inspecting the two. “Steve, Clint tells me that you and James mated last night, but there seems to be something more to it.” They sit around one of the tables and share a couple of bottles of champaign. Steve starts explaining what happened and can see that they don’t believe him.

“You can hear what he’s thinking?” Tony really has no reason to doubt what he’s hearing except that it isn’t how mating work.

_‘I don’t think they believe us.’_ Steve looks over, shaking his head.

“Hey, that isn’t fair! What did he just say to you?” Steve smirks at Clint.

“He said he doesn’t think you believe us.” Standing, he goes over to Clint. Pulling the man from his chair, he fixes him with a look. “Whisper something to me that only you know and you don’t mind sharing with me.” Clint looks over at Tasha, then leans in whispering to Steve. Steve’s eyes get huge and he thinks about what he just heard. Bucky burst with laughter. Bucky gets up and whispers something to Natasha. She glares at Clint, then looks over at Steve with a look of wonder, which is disconcerting on Black Widow’s face.

“You two can hear each other.” She gets up, cupping Steve’s face. “When did this start?”

Steve blushes, so Bucky goes ahead and tells them. “It started right after I claimed him.”

The whole table erupts, until Tony stands and whistles. “Wait, I thought, from what Itsy Bitsy Spider told me that Steve claimed you.”

Bucky pulls his shirt aside and shows the mark. “He did, but he wanted my claim too.” Steve looks over, the sappy grin just lives on his face now. _‘I love you, honey.’_

_‘I love you too baby.’_

“So at any given time, you two could be talking to each other and we’d never know.” Bruce is a scientist and this just amazes him.

“To hell with that! We need to all do this.” The group looks at Tony.

Bucky snorts, causing Steve to get all goopy. _‘I really want to take you home right now.’_ Bucky blushes fiercely. They spend a little longer talking Tony down from his idea of having all the Avengers claim each other so they can be more effective in battle.

When the new mates return home, Bucky pushes Steve against the entry wall and does what he wanted to do at the party. He’s fighting Steve’s belt. _‘That woman at the party really pissed me off.’_

_‘Feel free to work out those frustration, baby.’_

It’s mid-February and the team is in South America trying to deal with something that looks like walking fish, but with fangs, when it happens. Steve is chasing down one of the fish monsters when Bucky screams in his head.

_‘I’M WHAT?’_

Steve goes down, clutching his head. Clint rushes over to him. Looking up, he can’t stop the tears. “Bucky…”

Clint taps his earpiece. “I need a perimeter around Cap. Something’s happened at home.”

_‘Bucky? Baby, talk to me!”_

_‘Oh shit…fuck…Steve…I’m sorry. It’s okay. I’m okay!’_ Since the initial claiming, the two men have figured out how to filter their thoughts. It becomes just background noise to their own thoughts, unless one is distressed or, as Bucky found out the hard way, bored in a meeting. Steve had let his mind wander to the things he would like to be doing to Bucky. It would have been fine, except that Bucky was meeting with his thesis advisor at the time and suddenly couldn’t focus, not to mention getting turned on.

_‘What’s happening?’_ Steve’s trying to stand with Clint and the rest of the team flanking them.

Steve stands, but what happens next has him going to his knees again. _‘Honey, how to you feel about kids?’_ Before Steve can reply, Bucky continues. _‘It doesn’t really matter now, of course, because I’m pregnant anyway.’_

Steve freezes, but when a fish monster comes at Tony, he throws the shield, laughing. “Uh…Cap, you okay?”

_‘I love you so much right now. Yes, I want kids and I love you.’_

_‘Well that’s good cause I’m about two months in. Sorry to scare you. I love you to, by the way.’_

Steve is absolutely giddy. “Hey guys, we need to get this done. I need to get home.”

“Well yeah, Cap, we all want to get home.” Natasha looks over, frustrated.

“No, I need to get home and start planning the nursery.” The team goes silent and still.

“Alright everyone, fish monsters must go with extreme prejudice.” Tony starts firing and before long, it looks like a massacre at a cannery.

Over the months the group has accepted that Steve and Bucky’s mating isn’t normal. Bruce and Tony did research and found that the rom-coms and romance fiction did base some of it in fact. But they also found that in most of the actual cases, the ones that mate can only feel each other. What Steve and Bucky have seems to be on a different scale.

The mating hit the papers about two weeks after it happened and Steve is inundated with requests for interviews. He politely says no, so they start hounding Bucky. When the team finds out that Bucky’s being followed and accosted, Pepper gets involved and threatens the backing of Stark Industries in law suits against anyone coming within 50 feet of the young man.

Tony sits Steve down not long after and tries to make the super soldier understand that the couple is going to have to move. He offers a floor in the tower, but Steve declines. “Cap, listen, I know you think that there’s enough room in Bucky’s apartment, but kids…kids need space. Not only that, but I can guarantee that you’re going to have way too much stuff than that little place can hold.”

Steve sighs. “I know that, but the shelter is in Red Hook and that’s where we want to stay.”

“Okay, okay, how about this? How about we find somewhere, still in Brooklyn, still near the shelter, but somewhere with more space and I can put in security?” The agreement is made on the condition that Bucky is okay with it.

“Thanks Tony.”

What Steve doesn’t expect is for Bucky to be completely on board with finding a bigger place and that he isn’t so much insistent on staying in Red Hook as he is staying in Brooklyn. Also what Steve isn’t expecting is to get called away on a mission that lasts for nearly a month. By early March, he knows that he isn’t going to be home for Bucky’s birthday, so he does what he always does and goes overboard.

In one of his few breaks, he calls Pepper and asks her to help Bucky find a place. By mid-March he gets a text that they found something and Steve doesn’t even hesitate to tell her to buy it using his account. By the end of March, he gets a text that Bucky is moved and Tony’s cyber team has set up a security system with FRIDAY installed. Steve knows that whatever Bucky picked, he’s going to love because he loves Bucky.

By the second week of April he’s headed home and can’t wait to see his…that’s when it hits him. He doesn’t want to call Bucky his boyfriend, he wants to call Bucky his husband. Knowing that he will have to debrief at the tower, he puts in another call to Pepper. She calls a jeweler that doesn’t mind making a house call late in the evening.

By the time the car drops Steve off in front of his and Bucky’s new home, he’s set with a plan. He doesn’t expect to step out of the car and have to pick his jaw up off the ground. This place isn’t something a little bigger with an extra bedroom, this place is the kind of place he dreamed about buying his ma. Only this place…this place is beyond his boyhood imagination.

When he steps to the door FRIDAY’s voice chimes in. ‘Welcome home Captain Rogers.’ The door clicks and he steps into the most beautiful place he’s ever seen. To make things better, Bucky has been living here long enough that it smells like content, happy omega.

“Buck?”

Bucky skids around the corner and Steve nearly melts. He’s wearing a pair of Steve’s sweats, the old soft pair, and one of Steve’s bigger t-shirts, meaning it hangs on him a little looser, but it doesn’t hide the small bump. Bucky has a barely there baby bump and Steve melts all over again. “Steve!”

Throwing himself into Steve’s arms, the super soldier cuddles him close and scents the sweet smell of home. “Buck, this place is…”

“I know, I know, it’s huge, but I just…I saw it…when we walked in…it just…”

Steve brushes Bucky’s hair back, cupping his face gently. “I was going to say, this place is perfect.”

“You have to see everything. When you do, you’ll know why I picked it.” Bucky starts in what will most likely be the team’s favorite room, the recreation room on the bottom floor. It has stadium seating and the large, even by Tony’s standards, tv that will make for fun movie nights. “And look.” Bucky points to what appears to be lounge seating big enough for Steve and Bucky to share. At the other end of the room is what appears to be a workout room.

He drags Steve to the next floor and takes him out back where there’s an actual yard. “The baby can play out here.” On the third floor, Bucky takes Steve into a room with more windows than the soldier expected and it’s filled with canvases and paints. “This one is for you.” Steve hugs him, nuzzling his neck. “But that’s not all.” He takes him to the roof where there’s a deck with a grill. Everything about it is perfect and even if Steve wasn’t sure about it, the look of childlike glee on Bucky’s face is enough. “Have you showered?” Steve nods and Bucky blushes. “Would you like to take another one?”

Steve growls and picks Bucky up to carry him back inside. “I saw that shower and I think I know why you like this place so much.”

Bucky giggles and clings to Steve. “I like this place because it feels like home.”

Steve stops, sitting Bucky down and gets down on one knee. Bucky blushes and starts to tear up. “Any place where you are, is my home. I love this place, but would live with you in a cardboard box if that was what we had.” He pulls the ring from his pocket. “I want to marry you and build this life with you. Will you marry me?”

Bucky kneels down with Steve and holds out his hand. “I’d live with you in a cardboard box because home isn’t just this place, it’s you. Yes, I will marry you.”

Bucky is five months pregnant when he walks across the stage to accept his master’s degree in May. Steve and the other Avengers watch from the crowd and probably make more noise than anyone else. _‘I don’t know how you make that gown look so good, but I want to bend you over right now. You’re keeping the hat on tonight after the party.’_

_“Goddamnit Rogers! Not when I’m trying to shake the hand of the Dean!”_ Bucky looks over where he knows Steve is, glaring.

“What did you say to him?” Natasha looks amused.

“Nothing that I’m willing to repeat.” She barks a laugh.

As the due date draws closer, Steve starts to really think about his life. He’s painting in his studio, trying to finish a piece for the baby’s room. They know it’s a girl, but have made a point to make things as neutral as possible. The walls are a soft green and Steve painted a mural on one of the walls of all the things he wants the baby to know. It includes his ma, Bucky’s mom and everyone that’s important to the couple. Which means, the first time the team had seen it, they had all stopped in awe that they would be included in her life. This painting is the last thing for the nursery.

Bucky is stretched out on a sofa that Steve moved in here, so that Bucky would have a soft place to sit if he wanted to be with Steve. Lately, he’s always with Steve. Pepper assured Steve that it’s just how omegas are when they get close to the birth. Bucky is staring out of the window today, not really looking at the books for the shelter. After getting his master’s degree, he went back to make sure the place was being taken care of. It seemed like a bad idea to try and find a job months before the baby is due, so he’d been working at the shelter. The volunteers had turned into full-time employees with benefits. Bucky wasn’t allowed to clean anything and only did the books and played with the animals.

Steve looks over, curious what has his husband in such deep thought. “Buck?”

He doesn’t turn his head away from the window and starts talking. “I didn’t really think I’d ever have this.” Steve goes over, kneeling down, taking Bucky’s hands. “I didn’t think I wanted kids.” Steve’s brain goes into overdrive and he panics. _“Stop that! You know that’s not what I mean.”_ Steve takes a deep breath. “Truth is, it’s not just in your time that omegas were smaller, they still are and I just never got looked at the way… _the way you look at me.”_

“I look at you that way because that day in the shelter I’d never seen anything as beautiful as you.” Steve looks at their joined hands. _“I still can’t believe how beautiful you are.”_ Bucky blushes and tries to sit up. Steve helps him, smiling. “Whatever this is between us, whatever this magic is that allows me to see your beautiful face and hear your beautiful mind, it’s everything.” Bucky makes a face and Steve smiles. “Indigestion?”

“Yeah, I think so. I’m hungry I think.” Steve pulls him up, kissing him with reverence. He acts for a minute like he’s going to sweep Bucky up in his arms, but the omega holds up his hands. “I’m as big as a house, but I can walk downstairs.”

Steve heads to the door. “It’s better than upstairs, right.”

Bucky takes a swipe at him. “Shaddup, asshole. You did this to me.”

Steve walks backwards to the stairs, holding Bucky’s hands and waggling his eyebrows. “Yes, I did and don’t you forget it.” Bucky just rolls his eyes.

“Get your sexy ass downstairs and fix me food.” Steve starts jogging down and Bucky stops. “Show-off.” Steve cackles all the way down. On the second landing, Bucky stops to breathe. “My god, this is ridiculous.” Halfway down from the second floor, he stops again and looks down. “UH….STEVE!”

The alpha comes running and stops when he sees Bucky clinging to the banister. “Baby?”

He jogs up the stairs and sees the puddle. “I think…” He’s in Steve’s arms before he can finish the sentence.

“FRIDAY! GET TONY!”

‘Captain, Sir would like for you to head to the roof. A jet is on its way.’

Steve reverses course, stops in their bedroom, sitting Bucky carefully on the bench at the end of the bed, and gets his duffle from the closet. Slinging it over his shoulder, he picks his husband up again and runs for the roof door. FRIDAY has it open for him already and he sprints through. Bucky screams. “OH GOD…THIS HURTS YOU BASTARD!”

Steve gets the dopiest grin and kisses his husband. “I love you too.”

Three hours and twenty-seven minutes later, Steve leans over Bucky, kissing him like he never has before. It isn’t just reverence, but Steve’s inability to believe that he has Bucky and a beautiful daughter, who is screaming to high heaven. But, she’s gorgeous, just like her Daddy. The nurse hands her over to Steve, wrapped in a white blanket, while the Doctor checks Bucky over.

Steve doesn’t even try to stop the tears flowing down his cheeks. Staring at this little girl, with Bucky’s chin and mouth, Steve’s nose, he can’t believe that he gets to have this. Looking over at Bucky, who is also crying, he goes to lay her on his husband’s chest. “Buck…Bucky…look what you did.”

Placing his hands on her back, Bucky stares down at this little miracle. One of his hands comes up to clasp Steve’s. “Is she as beautiful as I think or is it just that she’s ours?”

The doctor chimes in. “She’s one of the loveliest babies I’ve ever delivered.”

They get Bucky situated in a room way nicer than anything he’d have at a normal hospital when the nurse sticks her head in. Steve is in the bed, cradling Bucky, who, in turn, is cradling their daughter. “You have some people out here that are planning a riot if we don’t let them in.”

Steve waves and she opens the door to admit their family. Pepper hurries over, looking down at their bundle. “Oh…she’d beautiful.”

Natasha puts her hands behind her back and Steve’s learned what that means. “You did good, Rogers.”

Never taking his eyes from his daughter, he chuckles. “I didn’t do anything.”

She snorts. “I wasn’t talking to you, Steve. I was talking to the other Rogers.”

Bucky beams up at them then leans into Steve. “Have you decided on a name?” Pepper just stares at the baby in awe.

“Yeah, we decided to name her Winifred Sarah, after our moms.”

The following day, Steve takes his family home. Home takes on a whole new meaning for him now. It isn’t just a building that he’s grown to love, but Bucky and Win. When they arrive, the house is full of people and more gifts than Steve has seen in one place at any given time. Bucky carries Win into the living room and right over to Natasha, whose eyes get huge. Without any fanfare, he hands his daughter over to the one person that doesn’t think she deserves to have too many nice things.

Heading back out of the room and toward the kitchen, he calls over his shoulder. “You have about an hour before she’s going to want to eat again.” Natasha settles back into the chair, knees pulled up, cuddling the little girl close, staring at her with rapt attention. Steve is in the fridge looking for something to eat. He knows that Bucky’s hungry and he’s starved. Arms slip around his waist and the super soldier stands, leaning into his husband. “Nat has the baby. I think she was about to implode.”

Steve leans his head back onto Bucky’s shoulder. “Yeah, I saw that at the hospital too. Like she wanted to hold Win, but was afraid to ask.” Steve turns in Bucky’s arms. “She’s going to be a great aunt to Win if she’d just believe she can have that.”

Bucky snuggles into Steve’s embrace. “Have I mentioned that I love you?”

“It came up once or twice.” Bucky snorts and Steve chuckles. “However, yesterday you called me a bastard.”

Bucky lays his forehead against Steve’s chest. “I’m so sorry about that. I told myself I wasn’t going to do that, but it just came out.”

Steve laughs with such joy. “If you hadn’t done that, I would swear you’d been replaced by a shapeshifter or something.” Steve cups Bucky’s cheek, raising his eyes. “Everything…you’re just everything.”

They’re home for two days when the alarm sounds, but FRIDAY, being the awesome being that she is, sets the volume for baby purposes. Steve still hears it and grabs his phone. Bucky is walking around outside with Win, talking to her about all the possibilities of her life. Tony is talking on the other end, but Steve’s not listening, watching his husband and their daughter. They have a beautiful home and a perfect little girl and all he wants…all he wants is to be here for every minute of it. Pulling his lips into a thin line, he concentrates on Tony. “Yeah, okay.”

He jogs out to the yard, wrapping Bucky and Win in his arms. “What’s going on? I know that look.”

“There’s a mission. The jets on the way.” Bucky looks at him, eyebrow quirked up. _‘I don’t want to go. I don’t want to miss a second of this.’_

_‘My beautiful, sweet love,’_ He’s never called Steve that before, but the blond has noticed since coming home with Win, Bucky’s become much more romantic. _‘You have a job to do and we understand that. You just have to promise to come home safe.’_

“Always, but we do need to talk about this when I come back.” Bucky nods and Steve runs for the house and his shield. Coming back out, he kisses Win’s head and lingers on Bucky’s lips far longer than he should.

The mission is strange from the beginning. Natasha tells them almost immediately when they land that something is off. They don’t have the type of threat that would be considered Avengers level. They don’t have the resistance that they expect. They don’t run into the kind of skill that demands their presence. It isn’t until Clint comes through a skylight and lands on a table with files and blueprints that he knows they’ve been had. He doesn’t even pause in his orders. “EVERYONE BACK ON THE JET…NOW!!!”

Tony has opened up the jet to its fullest capacity while Steve looks at the plans Clint grabbed. His knees go out from under him and Thor keeps him upright. “Captain, we will not let this happen.”

Tony spins in the chair having just received a message. “It already has.” Steve looks up panicked. “Security’s been disabled at the house.”

Steve’s knees hit the ground, he doubles over, sobbing. _‘BUCKY? BUCKY PLEASE SAY SOMETHING!’_

He keeps screaming in his head, but for a period of time he gets no response. Tony calls the tower and has a second security team head to the house. One had already been dispatched when the system went down, but he’s not taking any chances. He keeps pushing the capability of the jet when FRIDAY finally speaks up. ‘Boss, the jet can’t go any faster.’

“FRIDAY I need you to transfer power from wherever you have to and get us home!” He turns back to see Steve’s head pop up suddenly. “Cap?”

Steve’s eyes glaze over when the voice starts talking in his head. Bucky sounds exhausted and shaky.

_‘If you get home soon, which I’m assuming you will be, there’s going to be blood on the floor. A lot of blood.’_ Bucky doesn’t sound hurt.

_‘Oh god, baby…tell me…are you…Win…’_

_‘You’re going to have to finish one of those thoughts for me to answer anything. But, we’re both fine…now. They tried to take our daughter.’_

Steve breathes in and out several times. The team watches, waiting for information. “Buck and Win are fine, but we’ll need clean up.” The team is confused, but Steve keeps talking to his husband. When the jet lands in the street, the neighbors come out to see what’s happening. Steve doesn’t even stop, he just runs for the house. Bucky meets him on the stoop with Win, cuddled to his chest. Steve’s arms wrap tightly around them both as he whispers encouragement into Bucky’s hair.

The team goes inside and finds six men, two are tied up with duct tape, groaning and four of them have bled out on the floor. Natasha looks around appreciatively, but everyone else looks around stunned. “H-how…I mean…” Tony turns to look at Bucky. “HOW?”

Bucky gives a half shrug, nestled into Steve’s side, who looks entirely too shaken for a super soldier. His gorgeous mate did this, protected their home, protected their daughter. “THEY THREATENED MY DAUGHTER, TONY!” Then, Tony gives a tight smile. “You telling me you wouldn’t do the same to anyone that threatened Morgan?”

Tony comes over, hugging the omega. He gives Bucky a peck on the temple. “No, I absolutely would.” He goes to the control panel in the kitchen. “Okay, let’s see what they did to FRIDAY.”

The security team takes the bodies out and replaces the tape with cuffs on the two still breathing. Authorities, both local and SHIELD, show up to assess what’s happened, but no one gets near Bucky and Win without Steve’s permission. The clean-up crew arrives with Pepper and Morgan not far behind. Tony puts his daughter in a guest room to sleep more and Pepper takes Win from Bucky, who reluctantly gives her over. “I’m going to stay downstairs in the media room with her. There’s only one access point. There will be guards outside the door.”

Natasha comes over with Clint, flanking Pepper and Win. “We’ll be in the room with her, so nothing will happen, but you need to get cleaned up.”

Bucky doesn’t speak, just nods and heads up the stairs with Steve on his heels. Carefully undressing his husband, Steve starts the shower, checking the temperature, then guides Bucky into the steaming water. He goes back into the bedroom to dispose of the bloody clothes and get new ones. Laying them on the end of their bed, he goes back into the bathroom to find Bucky huddled in the corner of the shower.

There’s not a voice in his head as Steve strips out of his clothes. Bucky is purposely clearing his mind so Steve doesn’t understand the depth of his anguish. Stepping into the oversized shower, Steve goes to his husband, his life, his world, and pulls the man into his lap. That’s when Bucky lets go of the tight hold on his emotions. _‘They wanted her. I couldn’t let them have her. I had to stop them. I had to, Steve. I had to. I had to. I had to.’_

_“Sshhhh my beautiful, brave angel.’_ Steve emphasizes his words with constant kisses to any skin he can reach. _‘You were so brave, so strong, so perfect. You did everything right. You protect our girl and our home.’_

No one sleeps that night except Win and Morgan. Bucky doesn’t release Win and she sleeps peacefully in his arms. Steve doesn’t release either of them as they and the team, sit in the media room, a movie that no one is paying attention to playing, and everyone watching the couple closely for any sign they need more tactile support.

Clint and Pepper make a huge breakfast the next morning and this found family, this formed pack, eats, talking softly, but Steve can tell that Bucky’s looking around and remembering all the blood. He’ll need to have someone come in and talk with Bucky. This is support that Steve can’t give. They need a professional. He meets Tony’s eyes over the table, who nods at Steve like he knows what the man is thinking. Keying something into his phone, Steve gets an alert with a name.

A few days later, a lovely beta woman comes to the house to talk with Bucky. At first he doesn’t say much, still closed off after that night. Steve stays upstairs with Win and Clint, who is on ‘protection’ duty. After a few questions, Bucky finally opens up and tells her what happened. Steve is stressed like he’s never been before and repeating his failures over and over in his mind.

_‘My love, maybe you should be down here talking to Janelle too. You didn’t fail me. You didn’t fail Win. You were doing your job.’_

Steve’s shoulders slump. Clint comes over putting a comforting hand on his Captain’s arm. Steve gives a weak smile. _‘Now that I have you and Win, I don’t want to ever lose you. My greatest fear used to be going back into the ice, now that doesn’t even come close.’_

_‘I know I’ve been quiet and you think I’ve been pulling away, but I’m just trying to reconcile what I did with who I thought I was. I love you and this life we have. I love you so fucking much.’_

Clint knows it’s okay when Steve gets that sappy smile. _‘You are my life, my heart and soul.’_

Bucky agrees to see Janelle every two days for the next couple of months. He needs to get better and more accepting of his actions. Steve gives him space to process, but three weeks after the incident, Bucky puts Win to bed, coming into their bedroom, he watches as Steve undresses for bed. The muscles in his back ripple as he removes his shirt, and as his jeans slide down his legs, Bucky watches how Steve’s thighs flex with the movement. _‘I think it’s time for me to climb you like a tree.’_

Steve whirls around, surprise and lust showing in his eyes. “I think I’ll let you. If you’re sure.”

Steve’s only wearing his boxer briefs and Bucky notices thickening under the thin cotton. “Oh, I’m sure.” Stripping out of his own clothes, Bucky climbs on the bed. “Come on, Alpha.”

Steve’s growl is primal as he scoots up behind Bucky, pulling his cheeks apart, and dives in, licking and sucking. Bucky tries to muffle his cries in the pillow, not wanting to wake their daughter. Bucky comes the first time with Steve’s fingers sliding in and out of his hole and the alpha sucking on the claim bite on his shoulder. He comes the second time when Steve slides into him the first time. He comes the third time when Steve locks inside of him chanting _‘so perfect’_ over and over again. They get up the next morning, exhausted from lack of sleep, but warm and fuzzy from a night well spent.

It’s weeks of patching the system enough to pull anything off of it. In that time one or more of the Avengers sleep in one of the guest rooms at Steve and Bucky’s. They have all figured out that they need to take a guest room on the second floor because Steve and Bucky aren’t always quiet. One morning the pair wakes up with no noise coming from the baby monitor. Bucky leaps from the bed, Steve in tow with his shield. They find Win’s crib empty and run for the stairs.

What they find makes the two stop, smile and then chuckle. Thor has her and it’s a sight to see. Steve’s a big guy, Bucky’s a big guy, but Thor is on a whole other level. But he has her in the back yard, cuddled up to his chest, pointing up at the sky, telling her tales of his adventures. The God of Thunder looks up, grinning widely. “Ah, friends, Her Highness and I were getting acquainted. There is coffee made if you wish to have some.”

Tony comes in the front door looking like he hasn’t slept in days. “Oh…coffee…coffee good.” After the three have their mugs and sit at the table, Thor comes in.

“I believe she is requesting breakfast and I am unable to provide.” Bucky stands, taking his daughter and slipping his shirt from his shoulder. Steve watches with such love and sappiness that Tony makes a ‘bleck’ noise. “It is astounding how omegas can care for their children.”

“Speaking of omegas taking care of their kids, I gotta say Rogers 2.0, you pack a hell of a punch.” Tony is looking at Bucky in admiration.

Steve looks up. “I did you access the system?”

“I did, finally, and you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, so I’m gonna show you.” He plugs something into the control panel and FRIDAY comes back online. “FRIDAY, can you show Captain Spangles what happened the night of the break-in?”

‘Of course, boss.’ The space above the table displays the inside of the house from all camera angles. Steve sees Bucky in the nursery as the six men enter the house. It’s dark except for a light coming from the kitchen. The six men ease into the darkened room and one indicates upstairs, two head up.

_‘I can’t watch this.’_ Bucky gets up with Win and stands looking out at the yard.

Bucky had been up that night, checking on Win and heard something that wasn’t right. Instead of calling out, like some would have done, he eased to the door. Seeing strange men in the house, he’d looked around the nursery for something to use. He found the 1.5 inch wooden dowel in the closet for the wall-hanging quilt that Pepper had given them. Testing its weight, Bucky heads out of the room. The first man, surprised by Bucky’s presence, was knocked down the stairs when Bucky swung and hit him like a Major League Baseball player. The second came at Bucky from behind and after getting an elbow to the gut and a backhand to the nose, he was flipped over Bucky’s shoulder and over the banister.

At that point, Win woke up crying and Bucky had gone back in to get her. Two more came up the stairs and Bucky had agreed to go with them downstairs, getting them to talk. “Why do you want us?”

The one that seemed to be in charge, poked him in the back. “You we don’t care about, but the kid we want because she’s got Captain America’s serum.” Knowing what they would probably do to her, Bucky went what seems to be feral.

Steve pauses the video and looks over at Bucky. Tony watches over his mug to see how this plays out. Whatever this weirdness is between alpha and omega extends further than they realized. “Bucky, did your eyes turn gold?”

Bucky stares up at the frozen image. “I-I-I d-didn’t know.” Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, eyes turning gold was normal, today, it just doesn’t happen. “They wanted her and I couldn’t let them take her. That’s all I could think.” Steve resumes the video.

Bucky carries Win into the kitchen and the leader tries to stop him. “You can’t take her and no supplies unless you want her to die.” The leader thinks about it and nods. Bucky heads into the kitchen where the carrier is and lays his daughter in it carefully. Going to the fridge, he blocks the counter with his body, taking two knifes from the holder. The next thing Steve sees is his omega, his husband, his love attack the four men who don’t even have the chance to defend themselves. Bucky is over the counter and has two on the floor before the other two know what’s happened. Covered in the blood spray from the two who just had their throats sliced open, Bucky goes after the others, eyes glowing an eerie gold. Bucky takes out the other with a stab through the temple, yanking the blade out he turns on the leader.

Even though the man was probably trained, he doesn’t know what to do with a feral omega. The next words are an unnatural low growl from Bucky. “You came into my den to take my daughter. You came into my den when my alpha isn’t here because you thought an omega would be easy prey.” The leader is backing away from Bucky, trying to get the safety off his gun when Bucky leaps at him, burying both knives in the man’s chest. The last thing the man hears as he takes his last breath is, “Didn’t anyone ever warn you that the most dangerous in the pack is the omega when the pups are threatened?”

Thor looks very pleased with what he sees and slaps Steve on the back. “Your mate is a force to be reckoned with, my friend.”

Tony looks just as shocked as the first time he watched it. “Cap, I don’t think you have to worry about your family.”

Bucky looks ashamed. “Steve…I…please…”

Steve is in complete awe of his husband. Wrapping his arms around the man holding their daughter, he leans in, kissing him. “I’ve never been so proud of anything.”

“Steve…I killed four men!” Bucky seems horrified.

“You killed four men that came into our home and tried to take our daughter. I would have killed all six.” Steve cups his husband’s face. “Baby, I don’t know or care how that happened. You protected our…den.” Den and pup aren’t words used anymore, but Steve doesn’t care right now. He needs Bucky to understand that what happened that night was justified in every way and maybe get him to relax a little. _‘there’s also a chance that I’m a little turned on right now.’_

_‘You have a problem, Rogers.’_

Win is just over three months when the holidays come. Steve hasn’t gone on any missions after taking a leave of absence from the Avengers. He keeps the shield at home, but no one can fault him for wanting to take the time after what happened that night. Steve runs on the treadmill while Bucky does yoga with Win.

She’s in the carrier, facing her daddy, giggling at his poses. When he has his balance right, he’ll reach out and she grabs his finger trying to gum it to death. Pulling his finger away, he goes into a downward facing dog pose that Steve likes very much. If he’s not careful, he’ll lose his footing from the distraction of Bucky’s ass being in the air.

_‘I do like that pose.’_

Bucky glances between his legs at Steve ogling his backside. _‘You’re a real creep, love.’_

Steve barks a laugh and that makes Win giggle. “Daddy’s a funny guy, sweetheart.” She twists her head to try and see her Papa.

_‘Daddy’s funny and Papa’s horny.’_ Bucky goes into a cool down pose.

_‘Papa is always horny when you’re around.’_ Steve turns the treadmill down and starts walking to cool down, hands on his hips. Checking his phone, he sees a call from Tony that he missed. “FRIDAY, play the voicemail from Tony, please.”

‘Of course, Captain.’

‘Hey Cap, listen…oh and don’t get mad…but uh…Fury wants to see you.’ Steve sighs in frustration. Leave means that he doesn’t have to do the bureaucratic crap with Fury. ‘We’re on our way over. I told him that he wasn’t going to see you on leave without me.’

Pulling the towel off the bar of the machine, Steve wipes down his face. “I’m going to go shower.” Bucky watches him leave, hearing the frustration in the rant happening in his head.

Picking up Win, he heads upstairs to the living room to feed her. “Papa’s not happy, but hopefully the shower will work to cool him off.” He leans in, kissing her forehead. Getting comfortable on the sofa, he lowers his shirt and she latches on. Leaning his head back, closing his eyes, he relaxes. _‘Love, whatever he wants, it doesn’t matter. We’ll deal with it. I love you so much and we’ll always make it work.’_

_‘It’s different now, baby. I have different priorities now and I’m not sure anyone understands that. I mean, I know the team does, but the higher ups, including Fury, just think I’m their asset to be used like a weapon at their disposal.’_

_‘You’ve never been an asset. You’ve always been Steve too. Can I talk to this guy?’_

_‘Honestly baby, I don’t want you anywhere near him or any of this. I want to be the one to protect you and Win.’_ There’s a long pause in which Bucky is sure that Steve expects him to respond with an outburst, but one thing that night taught Bucky is he doesn’t want to be the protector. He lost himself in that feral behavior and he doesn’t want to do that again. When he doesn’t respond, Steve continues. _‘I want to be here, with you and Win. I should be the one protecting our den.’_

They only use that word when talking like this. Using it aloud throws people off. _‘Well alpha, maybe that’s what you should tell him.’_

‘Mr. Rogers, Boss and Director Fury are at the door.’

“Let them in, FRIDAY.” He doesn’t move from his spot on the sofa and knows that FRIDAY will inform Steve. Tony comes in, plopping on the sofa next to Bucky, caressing Win little cheek. “Hey Uncle Tony.” Win lets go of Bucky nipple and looks up at Tony grinning.

“Well, hello little miss.” She twists a little and reaches out. “Oh, are you done eating?”

Bucky hands the burp rag over and Tony takes the baby. As Bucky situates himself again, he looks up at the other man standing in his living room. Bucky understands control freaks and this guy exudes control freak. It makes what Steve said earlier very real. This guy wants his asset back. Pushing that down, he gets up from the sofa, but is very aware of Tony’s eyes and the one of the man in his living room assessing the situations. “I’m fixing some tea, anyone want any?”

Tony nods and the other man looks at Bucky appraisingly. “I’ll have some if it’s not too much trouble.” Bucky is also aware that this man has probably seen the video of that night, he knows what Bucky is capable of and that sits unpleasantly in Bucky’s gut.

Bucky’s in the kitchen when Steve comes down in basketball shorts and a t-shirt with Win and Morgan’s picture on the front. Clint had them made for everyone, including Morgan, who loved it. He takes Win from Tony, who frowns, but then comes in to help Bucky. He gets the cups down, checking to see if he can read the younger man. “Are you doing okay?”

Bucky takes a deep breath. “I don’t like that he’s here when Steve is on leave. I think he’s up to something to draw Steve back into all this.” He turns to look at Tony. “He’s not ready, Tony.”

Tony nods as the kettle whistles. “This wasn’t my idea. When Morgan was born, I didn’t go on missions for months, probably six or so. I didn’t want to be away. The team understood and let me have that time.” He turns to lean against the counter as Bucky pours the hot water. “Cap’s different.” Bucky quirks an eyebrow, asking for explanation. “He was lost for awhile before you. I don’t think anything made sense to him until you.” He gives a strained smile. “Bucky, I don’t think he wants to come back at all.”

Bucky looks down at the cups. “I don’t either, but he hasn’t said it outright in so many words.”

“Has he thought it?” Tony watches the reaction.

Bucky chuckles and turns to his friend. “No, actually, he hasn’t thought it either.”

The shouting gets their attention and Bucky heads back into the living room to find Steve in Fury’s face, Fury looking unimpressed, and Win looking on the verge of tears. Bucky goes over, taking his daughter. It’s the next words that set him off. Fury is trying to goad Steve into coming back. “You aren’t a sit on the sidelines kind of guy, Rogers. You take charge, you lead and if you aren’t in a fight, you don’t feel you’re doing your duty. Just admit it, you want to come back, but someone is stopping you.” Fury’s eye cuts to Bucky.

Like it or not, this ‘friend’ is threatening his den and his pack and Bucky doesn’t even realize it’s another catalyst. Tony sees it and nearly drops the tray he carrying, Steve can’t see it, but can hear Bucky’s brain _‘threat, threat, threat’_ on repeat. Before he can step forward to defuse the situation, Bucky steps between Steve and Fury, holding Win close to his chest, who is cooing happily. Fury takes a step back when he sees it. Bucky’s eyes bleed gold. “Let’s be clear, if Steve wants to be on leave, he will be on leave. If alpha doesn’t want to leave the den, you will not make him. If alpha only wants to protect the den and pack, that is what alpha will do.”

Steve steps around his husband and watches as the gold bleeds away, only leaving the crystal blue of Bucky’s eyes. Smiling softly, he snakes his arm around Bucky, pulling him to his side, kissing his temple. Fury blinks at the terminology he just heard. “Cap, maybe you shouldn’t come back, maybe I’ll just recruit this guy.”

_That_ was not the right thing to say and Tony does drop the tray this time. If possible, Steve seems to grow about six inches and broaden more than he already is. In truth, neither of these things happen, but his eyes do go red creating the illusion of size. The crash from the tray breaks Bucky out of his own head, looking up at Steve for comfort, he sees the eyes. Reaching up, he touches his husband’s cheek. “Steve?” Steve looks down, feeling the trepidation from his mate and nuzzles into Bucky’s neck. “Alpha?”

_‘Mine.’_ Win reaches up towards her Papa, who takes her little hand and kisses it. _‘My pup.’_ Looking over at Fury, who really seems off balance, Steve steps forward. “I don’t want this anymore. My pack and den need me and I will not be your asset anymore.” His eyes change back to their sky blue and he lowers his head. “I can’t do it anymore. If that night taught me anything it was that being here, with Bucky and Win, is what I want.” He looks back at Fury, then at Tony. “I’m sorry, but I can’t keep doing something that doesn’t feel right.” He looks back at Fury. “I knew that you only saw me as an asset, but I convinced myself that I didn’t care because I was fighting the good fight. I can’t do that anymore because Captain America is just a persona, Steve has to count for something.”

Tony steps over, patting Steve’s shoulder. “Well Director, it would seem you have no other business here.”

Fury points at Tony. “I’ll see you in my office immediately!”

Tony chuckles. “I don’t think we’ve met, I’m Anthony Edward Stark and I don’t really do well with orders. We can meet tomorrow.” Tony waves his hand around. “Sometime after noon would be good. I really don’t like mornings very much. And we can meet in my office since I don’t really feel like going to DC and I did promise my daughter and wife I’d be home for dinner.”

Knowing that he’s not going to get what he wants, Fury turns to leave. “We’re not done here, Cap.”

Bucky pipes up. “His name is Steve.”

Bucky hands Win to Steve and starts picking up the mess that Tony made with the tray. “Jesus Tony, you’d think you never saw eyes turn red before.”

Steve freezes. “What?”

Tony sniggers while helping Bucky with the mess. “Uh…yeah Ca…Steve, your eyes went all alpha red. You used words like den and pack.” Steve looks shocked down at his daughter, who just grins up at him. His face melts with a smile that only she can bring to it. “Of course she thinks you’re funny. No fear in that kid.”

“We’re going to have to talk Tony. I don’t want to leave the team hanging, but I can’t be him anymore.” Bucky stands, kissing his husband.

“Well yeah Steve, we had already figured that out.” They both turn to the billionaire, surprised. “We were thinking that you could work at the tower as a tactical advisor.” Steve smile and relaxes his shoulders. Tony then turns to Bucky, grinning maniacally. “And you, Buck-a-roonie, you graduated with top honors with a master’s degree in engineering, you have a lab set up and waiting.” He comes over taking Win’s little hand causing her to clasp his finger. Grinning indulgently, he keeps talking. “And you, little miss, have a boatload of aunts and uncles that want to babysit you while your daddies work, not to mention a cousin that is dying to see you.” He looks back up at the pair staring in awed silence. “What do you say, wanna work for Stark Industries at an insane pay and benefits to die for?”

Tony finds himself in a group hug, but it’s Steve’s next words that make Iron Man tear up. “I have the best pack any alpha could ask for.”

Epilogue

Steve hovers over the intel trying to come up with a way for the Avengers to get in and get out without disturbing the surrounding residential area. He really hates when terrorist decide to reside in a populated neighborhood. Bunch of weaselly assholes using civilians as shields.

“Cap, in a few minutes two little people are going to come through that door and ask you a question you aren’t going to want to answer, but trust me, just make something up.” Steve looks up at Clint confused when the door opens and Morgan comes in holding Win’s hand.

“Uncle Steve, just who I was looking for.” Steve should be really disturbed by how much Morgan is Tony’s daughter.

Running his hands down his face in frustration because this is going to be bad. Clint is grinning while leaning on the doorframe with an ‘I told you so’ look on his face.

Win releases Morgan’s hand and runs to Steve. “Papa!” Steve scoops her up, twirling the 3 year old around.

“How’s my beautiful little girl?” She leans in smacking a loud kiss on his cheek and Steve catches Morgan rolling her eyes. So very much Tony’s daughter.

“I’m good. Morgan has a cestian for you.” She turns in Steve’s arms to look at her friend.

Morgan strolls over, hands on her hips, weighing her words. “So, Uncle Steve,” And ‘uh-oh’ this isn’t going to be good. “My daddy is Iron Man.” Steve nods, really not liking where this is going. “And you’re Captain America.” Clint starts giggling by the door. “That means that when I’m older, I’m going to be Iron Man, but we’ll have to change the name because obviously I’m not a man.”

“Obviously.” It’s Steve’s turn to roll his eyes causing Clint to bark a laugh.

“Just wait for it, Cap.” Clint’s eyes sparkle with mischief that doesn’t bode well for Steve.

Morgan glares at Clint, who raises his hands in defeat. “So that means that when Win is older, she’s going to be Captain America.”

It isn’t really a question, but Morgan looks at him, demanding a response. “Well…I don’t…I’m not sure…oh hell…”

The doors open again, admitting Bucky who looks furious. “There you are!” Morgan squeals and runs to hide behind Steve and Win buries her face in Steve’s neck. “We’ve been over this and you are not to plan your world domination by using the members of the Avengers!” Steve would be more concerned, but he’s caught up in how Bucky moves at six months pregnant. His alpha brain just can’t stop him from melting a little every time he sees his husband carrying their children.

Morgan peeks out from behind Steve. “Uncle Bucky, we aren’t going to dominate the whole world, just the parts we like.”

Win looks up, grinning. “Like Disey Werd.”

That’s all Steve can take and he starts laughing, great, belly busting laughing. Clint joins him and before long, Bucky is as well. Steve sits Win down, who takes Morgan’s hand again. Morgan looks very pleased with the grown-ups reaction.

Steve goes to Bucky, hugging him. He leans in, whispering in his husband’s ear. “I would say it’s just kids being kids, but we may have a revolt on our hands in the near future.” Steve pulls back, looking at Bucky’s gorgeous face and placing his hands on his extended belly. “We are also giving them two more members of their army.”

Clint sees what this is about to turn into and goes to the girls, taking their hands to lead them out. “Come on kiddos, let’s go find some ice cream.”

World domination forgotten in favor of ice cream wins out and they skip out of the room, letting the doors close behind them.

Bucky kisses Steve, caressing his cheek. “Let’s go have some ice cream and try to convince them that the Avengers are lame.” He cackles all the way out at the look of utter betrayal on Steve’s face.

_‘I’ll show you lame when we get home!’_

_‘See that you do.’_


End file.
